Except One
by X-magicalmystery-X
Summary: The residents of Storybrooke (including Belle) travelled to Neverland to rescue Henry, as they reach the island they'll encounter new friends, enemies, and someone from Hook's past who he'd long forgotten.


As the ship approached the Neverland Island they all fell silent. Far from the story book image of an isle where children ran free and all was sweetness and light there was a definite air of menace. Hook claimed he knew the island well having sailed the waters many times and spent some time on the island as a child himself. He steered the ship into a hidden cove on the east of the island and moored it there.

"So what's supposed to be so terrible about this island?" Emma asked as they disembarked

"It's haunted by a shadow" Gold explained

"He steals children from their homes and promises them a magical life away from adults but then he refuses to let them go home so that he can feed off of their misery" Hook sounded grim "He's searching for a child whose body he can steal so that he can take a human form but he hasn't found one strong enough yet"

"Oh God" Regina's eyes filled with tears "Henry"

"So we kill the shadow and get Henry back" Emma said, her face grim. They were entering the forest now and the canopy was so dense that it blocked out all daylight

"It's not quite that simple I'm afraid" Gold was attempting to hack branches away with his stick

"It never is" David sighed and then froze, "What's that noise?"

From just over a ledge to their right they could hear the distinct sound of clashing swords. Cautiously they made their way to the edge and the seven of them peered over into the clearing below.

A hooded figure was brandishing a sword at their nearest attacker, while another two advanced from behind. As the one in front lunged forward so did one of the attackers from behind but with a couple of well-placed kicks, a punch that made a noise like a gunshot and a few flashes of the sword they were both quickly and apparently effortlessly disposed of.

The figure turned to face their next challenger and their hood slipped away revealing a mass of chestnut curls which had been forced into a plait over one shoulder.

"It's a woman" David sounded astonished

His wife raised an eyebrow at him "After all our years of marriage how does something like that still surprise you?"

Something of their conversation must have been heard by the woman below and the momentary distraction was enough for her foe to disarm her. They watched in stunned silence as she was dragged away.

"We have to do something" Mary Margaret gasped

"Like what?" said a cool voice from behind them. They were surrounded.

The prison cell they were thrown into was large with a window about the size of a car door at one end, it was occupied by the woman from the clearing, she was pacing when they arrived. She didn't acknowledge them or even seem to realise they were there.

"This isn't that big a deal is it?" Mary Margaret seemed to be trying to reassure herself as much as anyone else "We'll just use magic to pick the lock"

"You can't use magic in the cell it doesn't work" the woman said in a bored voice and then started as if she had only just realised they were there "How did you get here?"

"Magic beans" Emma sighed "it's a long story, we're here looking for someone. Eleven year old kid called Henry. He's my son…and Regina's. That's also a long story"

The woman raised an eyebrow "well I suppose there's no such thing as an uncomplicated family. If he's here Pan's keeping him captive"

"Pan?"

"The shadow. He steals all the children and brings them here. That's what I'm trying to stop but it's…Rumplestiltskin?"

Gold looked up startled and then recognition dawned on his face "I didn't recognise you" She hugged him tightly, as though greeting her father

"Well I suppose I've grown" she smiled but then turned ghostly pale as she noticed Hook stood behind him "_you_" she gasped "You're alive"

He stared at her "Have we met? I'm sure I'd remember a feisty little thing like you"

"You honestly don't remember me?" She seemed to be fighting an internal battle with herself not to hit him, she lost and kicked him hard in the shins "you deserve that you bastard"

"Wait a minute" Regina interrupted before Hook's temper could show itself "How could you possibly know Rumplestiltskin, we've been away from this land for nearly 30 years" she looked pointedly the woman who could only have been in her mid-twenties.

She shrugged "I'm older than I look" she eyed Emma's boots "Can I borrow those? I think I've just found us an escape"

They watched startled as she took one of the boots and began to hit the heel of it against the cell wall until the covering broke away, leaving only the exposed nail underneath. She used it to scratch a criss-cross pattern into the window at the end and then kicked the window, throwing all of her weight into the blow. The glass shattered into perfect little diamonds and they were free.

**A/N: I only just discovered Once this summer and I've only seen up to the end of season 2 (because us Uk people have to wait until April for series three) but I had an idea for Hook's back story (which I'm pretty certain won't follow the series) but I couldn't get the idea out of my head. So let me know what you think.**


End file.
